Young Woman Dies Before University, Struggled With Mental Health

A young woman, Bethany Staples, passed away at home in Devon. Bethany was looking forward to university and planned to study biology in Plymouth. She was also excited to take her driving test.

Bethany’s parents described her as happy and sociable. She was on a long waiting list for young people needing mental health support, having previously struggled with her mental health. Before she turned eighteen, CAHMS had helped her with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.

After she turned eighteen, she needed more help, but Talkworks found her needs too complex. In 2023, her doctor sent her to an eating disorder service, which linked her eating issues to past trauma, including the recent death of her aunt. She was referred for community support in December.

Bethany waited about eight months for Young Devon, a charity that supports young people. At the assessment, she said coping was hard but also stated she would not take her life. Bethany admitted to drinking and taking some drugs to escape from her issues.

Sadly, her father, Ian, found her on January 7, 2024, in her bedroom at their Bishopsteignton home. Ian said he had no concerns before her death, although he had known about her ketamine use two months earlier and they were helping her get through it. He thought she was happy at Christmas and had stopped using ketamine.

Ketamine toxicity was Bethany’s cause of death, although she first got mental health support in 2020. A service worker shared that Bethany felt passed around and like she got nothing from that. Bethany had complex post-traumatic stress disorder.

She said she used ketamine and cannabis for release and to feel numb, but claimed she was not addicted. The service worker realized they did not properly assess her drug use, even though she shared information during the assessment in December. It was noted that she had no plans to take her own life, but the worker admitted specifics needed further looking into.

The coroner recorded a drug-related death as the conclusion, stating there was not enough suicide evidence. Bethany had previously said she would not take her own life and had no plans to do it. She left no note or letter behind, and there was proof she planned for the future.

The coroner therefore concluded she died from ketamine, taking a quantity that caused her death, as Bethany used it to cope with her mental health.